System and method for patent white space analysis

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for analyzing patent white space in a patent management system. A computer-implemented embodiment comprises using one or more processors to identify the patent technology class or subclass of the invention; generate white space information for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, with the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and present the white space information to a user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/542,545 filed Oct. 3, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made a part hereof. This application also claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/561,502 filed Nov. 18, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made a part hereof.

BACKGROUND

The management of a patent portfolio involves multiple stages. Initially, a decision is typically made as to what inventions are worth the investment of filing a patent application. Then, each filed patent application goes through prosecution with the patent office. Finally, for each patent that is allowed, maintenance fees are usually payable at a variety of intervals to keep the patent in force.

SUMMARY

The present application relates to a white space indicator for patent analytics. In an example embodiment, a white space indicator indicates when an invention or patent is in a crowded space or is in a “white space”. The indicator gives a user an idea of which areas they are working in are the most fertile. The indicator also helps to create a strategy for patent filing.

Potential ways to indicate white space include:

-   1. For the class/subclass of the invention, an indication of how     many patents are in the class/subclass (fewer is less crowded); -   2. For the class/subclass, an indication of how old the earliest     patent in the class/subclass is (newer is less crowded); -   3. An indication of how old the applied prior art cited against the     patent is, and/or an indication of how old the unapplied art cited     is; -   4. What is the distribution of age of patents cited as prior art in     the class/subclass (newer is less crowded); -   5. Using keywords, determine how many patents each competitor has,     or how many patents there are, in key technology areas.

In an example embodiment:

-   a) a user creates a “Technology” to be added to a Technology list; -   b) For a Technology, the user can do one or more of the following:     -   i. Specify Representative Patents or Applications;     -   ii. Specify Representative Keywords;     -   iii. Specify Representative Classes/Subclasses; -   c) one or more modules of the system uses one or more of these     selections to calculate a parameter or graph showing whether the     Technology area is crowded or has white space.

In another example embodiment, for any given patent or patent application, one or more modules of the system uses keywords from the patent/application/claims, the classes/subclasses, and other parameters (such as prior art) to determine if a patent is in a crowded or open Technology area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of computer network system 100, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a user interface, as may be used in an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a method, according to an example method embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a user interface, as may be used in an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is another user interface, as may be used in an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computer system within which a set of instructions may be executed for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies herein discussed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The life cycle of a patent may include multiple stages. These stages generally include invention, filing a patent application on the invention, prosecuting the patenting application to allowance or abandonment, determining whether to file any continuing applications, and paying maintenance fees on the allowed patent.

At each stage, one or more parties determine the best course of action to take with respect to the invention. For example, when determining whether or not to file a patent, the inventor may know what products are out in the technology area of the invention, a business manager may know how the invention fits in with a company's goals, and a patent attorney may have researched existing patents or applications in the technology area of the patent. These parties will ultimately decide whether it is worth the initial investment of filing an application on the invention and then determine the next course of action at each future stage.

In some instances, an inventor, business manager, or portfolio manager may wish to monitor the patent activities of one or more competitors. The provision of up-to-date information relating to cited references or technology trends in the art to which a user's or competitor's patent portfolio relates may be particularly helpful in devising patenting strategy or making informed business decisions.

In various embodiments, a patent management system includes tools to help the parties involved in the patenting process make decisions at each stage in the life of a patent. These tools may also be used for general research by parties not immediately involved with the patenting of the invention. These tools may be used as standalone tools, in combination with other tools, and in combination with other patent management systems. Examples of tools include, but are not limited to, prosecution analytics, patent analysis, reference management, prior art analytics, docketing management, claim mapping, claim analytics, portfolio analytics, external database (e.g., PAIR) analytics, annuity management, strategic monitoring, and a white space indicator.

The systems, methods, and tools of the present disclosure set forth in this specification are described in relation to a patent management system and patent matters, but it will be understood that embodiments of the present invention could equally be applied to other forms of intellectual property (trademarks, copyright, registered designs, and the like). Moreover, the term “patent” is not intended to be limited to an issued patent, but may include a pending patent application or un-filed application or invention disclosure. The term “user” is intended to cover any person interacting with the patent management system. A user may be an inventor, portfolio manager, business manager or patent attorney, for example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of computer network system 100 according to various embodiments. The computer network system 100 includes a patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 (also called a portfolio management system, or annuity management system) and user terminal 104, communicatively coupled via network 106. In an embodiment, patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 includes web server 108, application server 110, database management server 114, which is used to manage at least operations database 116, and file server 118. Patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 may be implemented as a distributed system; for example, one or more elements of the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 may be located across a wide area network (WAN) from other elements of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. As another example, a server (e.g., web server 108, file server 118, database management server 114) may represent a group of two or more servers, cooperating with each other, provided by way of a pooled, distributed, or redundant computing model.

Network 106 may include local area networks (LANs), WANs, wireless networks (e.g., 802.11 or cellular network), the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTNs) network, ad hoc networks, personal area networks (e.g., Bluetooth) or other combinations or permutations of network protocols and network types. The network 106 may include a single LAN or WAN, or combinations of LANs or WANs, such as the Internet. The various devices coupled to network 106 may be coupled to network 106 via one or more wired or wireless connections.

Web server 108 may communicate with file server 118 to publish or serve files stored on file server 118. Web server 108 may also communicate or interface with the application server 110 to enable web-based presentation of information. For example, application server 110 may consist of scripts, applications, or library files that provide primary or auxiliary functionality to web server 108 (e.g., multimedia, file transfer, or dynamic interface functions). In addition, application server 110 may also provide some or the entire interface for web server 108 to communicate with one or more of the other servers in the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 (e.g., database management server 114). Web server 108, either alone or in conjunction with one or more other computers in patent portfolio and annuity management system 102, may provide a user-interface. The user-interface may be implemented using a variety of programming languages or programming methods, such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language), VBScript (Visual Basic® Scripting Edition), JavaScript™, XML® (Extensible Markup Language), XSLT™ (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations), AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), Java™, JFC (Java™ Foundation Classes), and Swing (an Application Programming Interface for Java™).

User terminal 104 may be a personal computer (PC) or mobile device. In an embodiment, user terminal 104 includes a client program to interface with the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. The client program may include commercial software, custom software, open source software, freeware, shareware, or other types of software packages. In an embodiment, the client program includes a thin client designed to provide query and data manipulation tools for a user of user terminal 104. The client program may interact with a server program hosted by, for example, application server 110. Additionally, the client program may interface with database management server 114.

Operations database 116 may be composed of one or more logical or physical databases. For example, operations database 116 may be viewed as a system of databases, which when viewed as a compilation, represent an “operations database.” Sub-databases in such a configuration may include a matter database, portfolio database, user database, patent reference document or prior art database, product database, watch database, and mapping database. Operations database 116 may be implemented as a relational database, a centralized database, a distributed database, an object oriented database, or a flat database in various embodiments.

Data stored in a first database may be associated with data in a second database through the use of common data fields. For example, consider entries in the patent database formatted as [Patent ID, Patent Number] and entries in the product database formatted as [Product ID, Product Name, Patent ID]. In this manner, a product entry in the product database is associated with a patent in the patent database through the Patent ID data field. In various embodiments, a product may be associated with more than one patent by creating multiple entries in the product database (one for each patent the product is associated with). In other embodiments, one or more patent reference documents may be associated with a patent by creating multiple entries in the patent database, for example. The formats and data field titles are for illustration purposes, and other names and formats may be used. Additionally, further associations between data stored in the databases may be created as discussed further herein.

During operation of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102, data from multiple data sources (internal and external) is imported into or accessed by the operations database 116. Internal sources may include data from portfolio management and annuity payment services affiliated with patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. External sources 120 may include websites or databases associated with foreign and domestic patent offices, assignment databases, WIPO, and INPADOC. In various embodiments, the data is scraped and parsed from the websites if it is unavailable through a database. The data may be gathered using API calls to the sources when available. The data may be imported and stored in the operations database on a scheduled basis, such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or some other regular or periodic interval. Alternatively, the data may be imported on-demand.

After data importation, the data may be standardized into a common format. For example, database records from internal or external sources may not be in a compatible format with the operations database. Data conditioning may include data rearrangement, normalization, filtering (e.g., removing duplicates), sorting, binning, or other operations to transform the data into a common format (e.g., using similar date formats and name formats).

FIG. 2 is an example user interface 200 of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. User interface 200 is illustrated with multiple user interface elements. In an example embodiment, a user interface element is a graphical or textual element with which a user may interact to cause an application to perform an assigned action for the interface element. Data representing user interface 200 may be transmitted via network 106 and presented on a display of user terminal 104 through the use of a web browser. A user (e.g., manager of a patent portfolio) may interact with the user interface elements of user interface 200 through the use of an input device (e.g., stylus, cursor, mouse, finger) of the user terminal. In an embodiment, a user selection is based on the coordinates of the input device as it makes contact with the display or where a user “clicks” the mouse. The coordinates are compared to the coordinates of the user input element to determine the selection. The type of user elements, names, and layout depicted in FIG. 2 are intended to be an illustration of an example user interface of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. Other types of user elements, names, and layouts may be used.

The user interface elements may include my matters 202, patent watches 204, company watches 206, and white space analysis 207. These elements may be used to select a context/view of the portfolio and annuity management system. For example, my matters 202 lists the patents included within a portfolio of a user, patent watches 204 lists information on patents that the user has indicated the management system is to watch, and company watches 206 lists information on companies that the user has indicated the system should watch. White space analysis 207 allows a user to perform analysis on patent white space. Further details of each of these are included herein.

Date boxes 208 and 210 are user elements that allow a user to select a time period. Amount due box 212 displays the amount due with respect to annuities for patents in the portfolio of the user within the period indicated by date boxes 208 and 210. Upon activating (e.g., clicking) one of the date boxes, a user may be presented with a calendar, which allows the selection of a date. Upon selecting a date, the date boxes will update to reflect the user's choice.

Drop-down menu 214 includes a list of portfolios that a user of the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 is authorized to view. For example, before user interface 200 is displayed, a login screen requesting a user ID and password may be presented to the user. In various embodiments, the user ID is associated with one or more portfolios. In turn, each portfolio is associated with one or more matters. Matters may include US and foreign issued patents, pending patents, abandoned patents, and not yet filed applications. Thus, upon selection of a portfolio using drop-down menu 214, user interface 200 is populated with matters associated with the portfolio.

Checkbox 216 is an option to only display matters that currently have an annuity due. Drop-down menu 218 allows further filtering of matters. For example, the matters may be filtered by US patents only, by US patent applications, and by foreign applications only.

In various embodiments, activation of button 220 updates user interface 200 to reflect the choices made by the user with respect to date boxes 208 and 210, checkbox 216, and drop-down menu 218. For example, the amount due box 212 will be updated to reflect the amount due within the new period, and the matters listed under column headings 222 may be filtered. In various embodiments, user interface 200 is updated as the user selections are made with respect to elements 208 to 218 without activating button 220.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102, according to an example embodiment. Illustrated are user database 302, portfolio database 304, matter database 306, watch database 308, product database 310, analytics database 312, input module 314, parsing module 316, analytics module 318, display module 320, filtering module 322, mapping module 324, and payment module 326. In various embodiments, the data stored in databases 302, 304, 306, 308, and 310 may be in the same or multiple physical locations. For example, portfolio database 304 may be located in one or more computers associated with a portfolio management service. In various embodiments, patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 may minor databases stored in other locations. In an embodiment, when a request is made to access data stored in the databases, patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 determines where the data is located and directs the request to the appropriate location.

In an example embodiment, user database 302 stores data representing users of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. The data may include data fields of user credentials, including a user ID and password, and access rights with respect to the management system 102. The user ID may be the same as the user ID of other systems associated with patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. For example the user ID may be used in a portfolio management system. In this manner, access rights of the user with respect to the portfolio management system may follow to the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. In various embodiments, each user ID is associated with one or more portfolio IDs. Thus, when a user logs into the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102, the user is presented with access to only the portfolios that have been associated with that user ID. More or fewer data fields associated with a user may be included in a user entry stored in user database 302.

Portfolio database 304, in an example embodiment, stores data representing portfolios of one or more matters. A matter may include foreign or domestic issued patents in addition to applications. Data stored in portfolio database 304 may have been initially generated in a portfolio management system and imported into patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 through the use of one or more API calls or direct access to the data in the portfolio management system. In various embodiments, a portfolio may be generated by a user using the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. For example, a user interface may be presented to the user requesting a portfolio name and the identifiers of matters to be included in the portfolio. In an embodiment, a portfolio entry in portfolio database 304 includes the data fields of portfolio ID and portfolio name. Additionally, a data field for matter ID may also be included in an entry in the portfolio database. Thus, each portfolio may be associated with one or more matters through the use of the matter ID data field. More or fewer data fields associated with a portfolio may be included in a portfolio entry of portfolio database 304.

In an embodiment, matter database 306 stores data representing matters. Each matter may be associated with one or more portfolios as well as one or more watches. In some embodiments, a matter is associated with no portfolios or watches. In an embodiment, a matter entry includes data fields representing a matter ID, title (e.g., the name of the patent or application), type of the matter (e.g., application, issued patent, PCT application), status of the matter (e.g., issued, abandoned, allowed), a link to the patent office where the matter was filed, a link to a PDF download of the matter, abstract of the matter, inventors of the matter, current owner of the matter, cited references on the face of the matter, filed date, issue date, docket number, and annuity information (e.g., due date, country, and amount due). In some embodiments, other patent reference documents or prior art in any form may be stored and associated with one or more matters. More or fewer data fields associated with a patent may be included in a matter entry stored in matter database 306. In an example embodiment, matter database 306 may store a patent matter database, wherein this database includes data about the patent matters. The data may include, for at least one patent matter, a claim set or statement of invention and a priority date for the claim set or statement of invention. Matter database 306 may also store a database of prior art documents (also known as “references”), wherein the prior art database includes data about the prior art documents. The data may include, for at least one prior art document, a priority date or publication date of the document. One or more of the prior art documents may be associated with a first patent matter in the patent matter database.

In various embodiments, a matter is associated with one or more other matters as a family with a family ID. Family members may be priority documents, continuation patents/applications, divisional patents/applications, and foreign patent/application counterparts. In an embodiment, family information is determined according to an external source such as INPADOC. Patent reference documents and/or other prior art may be manually or automatically stored, cross-cited, and associated with related family matters, for example.

In an embodiment, watch database 308 stores data representing user preferences with respect to objects that the user wants to track (e.g., watch). In an embodiment, an object is a company or a matter. With respect to matters, a user may indicate a preference to track the matter for any forward citations within a time period (e.g., 60 days, 3 months, etc.). Thus, watch database 308 may store entries with a watch ID that is associated with a user ID and a matter ID. With respect to companies, a user may indicate a preference to watch for publications or issued patents with an associated time period. Thus, watch database 308 may store entries with a watch ID, a user ID, and a company name. In various embodiments, the watches are user ID specific such that no matter what profile the user is viewing, the watches do not change.

In an embodiment, product database 310 stores data representing products. The products may be actual products manufactured by the user, products yet to be released, planned products, products covered in a licensing agreement, or a fictional product. In various embodiments, product database 310 stores entries with a product ID and product name which are associated with a user ID. In various embodiments, a user may tag a product as associated with a matter. Thus, an entry in the product database may also be associated with a matter ID. In an embodiment, one or more products stored in the product database 310 may be mapped to one or more matters stored in the matter database 306.

In various embodiments, analytics database 312 stores data representing information on matters and companies associated with patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. This information may be organized according to an individual matter, a portfolio, a family, or company. The information may be gathered from internal or external sources of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 or may be generated by examining the data stored in one or more databases of the management system 102.

In various embodiments, information for an individual matter may include status (e.g., disclosure received, drafting, filed, completed-waiting examination, in prosecution, allowed, issued), cited prior art, list and type of rejections (e.g., 35 U.S.C. §101, 102, 103), number of claims allowed, office action count, interviews held, IDS statements filed, attorney fees to date, and PTO fees to date. Further metrics for an individual matter stored in analytics database 312 may include time waiting for examiner, total time in examination, time waiting for PTO while in examination, and time on appeal. An additional prosecution details formatter may include upcoming docket dates (e.g., due dates for office action, IDS due dates, etc.). A claim prosecution history chart may also be stored in analytics database 312 for each matter. The prosecution history may include a history of claim amendments and arguments made in prosecution.

In various embodiments, analytics for an individual matter may also include data representing a claim chart. The claim chart may include one or more scope concepts on one axis and claims on the other axis. In an embodiment, a scope concept is a textual description of what a patent claim is at least limited to. Thus, if a claim comprises A, B, and C, a scope concept may be A. In various embodiments, a scope concept for the claim may be broader than A because the claim will still be limited to the broader scope concept. In an embodiment, the claim charts store mappings between claims and scope concepts. The claim chart may include a variety of levels of granularity of scope concepts. Some claims may be mapped to all of the scope concepts while others may not be mapped to any scope concepts. In various embodiments, the mappings may have already been generated in a program external to the management system (e.g., a portfolio mapping system). In various embodiments, claim charts may be combined at the portfolio level. Thus, a portfolio level chart may include scope concepts for all the claims (or, in some examples, only the independent claims) in the portfolio.

In various embodiments, portfolio and family analytics information may be stored in analytics database 312 based on aggregating the metrics for an individual matter. In an embodiment, the analytics of a family may differ from those in a portfolio since not all family member matters may be part of a portfolio. Additionally, the analytics may be stored for multiple time periods such that comparisons may be made between current metrics and metrics from a year ago (or other time period).

Aggregated metrics may include total patents and applications, pending and waiting for examination, in prosecution with no claims allowed, in prosecution with some claims allowed, appealed, notice of allowance received, and issued. These metrics may be compiled for both US and international matters in the portfolio. Additional information may include the international portfolio distribution by country. An age distribution of the portfolio may also be compiled. For example, the portfolio may be broken down by less than one year old, 1 to 3 years old, 3 to 5 years old, 5 to 10 years old, 10 to 20 years old, and 20 or more years old. Recent filing and issue activity as well as upcoming foreign filing deadlines may be stored in analytics database 312.

In various embodiments, prosecution metrics across a portfolio or family are determined and stored in analytics database 312. This data may include matters waiting for examination, matters in examination, matters appealed, and cases allowed but not yet issued. Analytics with respect to office actions may also be compiled and stored. For example, success of allowance after a first office action response, a second response, and the like, may be stored in analytics database 312. Additional prosecution analytics may include allowance rate (e.g., 10%) after a telephone interview, allowance after an in-person interview, percentage of interviews with response, number and type of rejections, average time in prosecution (e.g., in months), average time to file a response, and average time to next office action. Further, the list of recently allowed cases, recently appealed cases, stalled cases, and recently abandoned cases may also be stored for each portfolio and family in analytics database 312.

In various embodiments, data stored in the database for a group of matters in a portfolio or family is analyzed to determine the top (e.g., ten) most cited patents, top most cited inventors, top most cited prior art owners (e.g., according to assignment documents or the face of the patent), newly (e.g., within the last 60 days) cited prior art owners, and top most cited prior art inventors. This information may be stored in analytics database 312.

In various embodiments, annuity cost information regarding cost projections for both US issued patents and international patents may also be stored. Upcoming foreign filing deadlines with respect to annuities may also be stored in analytics database 312.

In various embodiments, the results of keyword analysis on one or more matters and/or prior art references may be stored in analytics database 312. The keyword analysis may be based on the occurrences of the keywords in the matter or references to derive a score or keyword overlap.

In various embodiments, input module 314 receives data from multiple sources where it may be further processed by one or more other modules and stored in one or more of databases 302-312. For example, input module 314 may be configured to utilize one or more APIs to collect data from one or more external sources 120 (e.g., public PAIR, private PAIR, INPADOC, foreign patent offices, patent docketing systems, portfolio management systems, etc.). The data may include published patent documents (for example, published claims of a patent), issued patent documents (for example, granted claims of a patent), patent applications, office actions or other patent office correspondence, prior art references, claim mappings, dockets dates, and annuity payment data.

In various embodiments, input module 314 is configured to receive input from one or more user interface elements. For example, the patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 may present multiple user interfaces to users. These user interfaces may enable users to input data directly into databases 302-312, instruct the management system to retrieve data from patent data stores, and instruct the management system to perform various operations on the data in databases 302-312.

Additionally, input module 314 may be configured to determine the selection of one or more user interface elements by a user and initiate the action associated with the selected user interface element. For example, a user interface element may include a drop-down menu to select a portfolio. Input module 314 may be configured to receive a selection of the portfolio and a drop-down menu. Then, input module 314 may pass the selection to one or more other modules for further processing. For example, display module 320 may update the drop-down menu to indicate the selection of a portfolio.

In various embodiments, parsing module 316 takes the data that has initially been inputted by input module 314 and formats it according to the data fields of databases 302-312 as discussed above. For example, consider a patent publication that has been inputted by input module 314. Parsing module 316 may use a combination of automatic image recognition and text analysis to determine the filing date, issue date, title, abstract, and claims of the patent. In some embodiments, parsing module 316 may flag certain pieces of data that had been determined to be potentially inaccurate (e.g., a number that could not be read). A user of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 may then examine the flagged data and manually enter in the information.

The resulting data that has been parsed by parsing module 316 may then be entered as an entry in one or more of databases 302-312. This may be accomplished by, for example, formulating an SQL query with the parsed information. In various embodiments, parsing module 316 may parse multiple pieces of information before generating a database entry. For example, input module 314 may receive a docket number for an issued patent. The docket number may be combined with the information parsed from the issued patent to form an entry in matter database 306.

In various embodiments, analytics module 318 is configured to examine and run calculations on the data stored in the databases 302-312 to generate the analytics discussed previously. For example, analytics module 318 may formulate an SQL query that retrieves the number of times that a prior art reference has been cited within a portfolio. This query may be run for each prior art cited within the portfolio to determine a list of the most cited (e.g., the top ten) prior art references within a portfolio. In an embodiment, the queries are formulated and run as requested by a user. In an embodiment, once the analytics information has been determined, it is stored within analytics database 312. In various embodiments, queries are formulated and run on a period basis (e.g., nightly) and entries in analytics database 312 may be updated to reflect any changes.

In various embodiments, the analytics module 318 is configured to receive input identifying a pool of keywords for a first patent matter and associated prior art documents in matter database 306. The term keyword is intended to include individual keywords as well as a number of keywords grouped together (making up a key phrase, for example). The analytics module 318 may be further configured to perform a keyword analysis on the first patent matter and associated prior art documents based on occurrences of the keywords in the first patent matter and associated prior art documents. The analytics module 318 may be further configured to identify, based on the analysis, keywords occurring uniquely in the first patent matter. In view of their uniquely occurring nature, these keywords may be regarded as claim elements that potentially differentiate the claim set or statement of invention over the disclosures contained in the one or more prior art documents.

The analytics module 318 may be further configured to perform patent white space analysis. In an example embodiment, a white space indicator comprising one or more of the modules 314-326 as described herein, indicates when an invention or patent is in a crowded space or is in a “white space.” The indicator gives the user an idea of which of the areas they are working in are the most fertile for further invention disclosures or patent application filings. The indicator also helps to create a strategy for patent filing.

Potential ways to indicate white space include: for the class/subclass of the invention, an indication of how many patents are in the class/subclass (fewer is less crowded); for the class/subclass, an indication of how old the earliest patent in the class/subclass is (newer is less crowded); an indication of how old the applied prior art cited against the patent is, and/or an indication of how old the unapplied art cited is; an indication of the distribution of age of patents cited as prior art in the class/subclass (newer is less crowded); and, using keywords, determining how many patents each competitor has, or how many patents there are, in key technology areas.

In an example embodiment, a user creates a “Technology” to be added to a Technology list; for a Technology, the user can do one or more of the following: i. Specify Representative Patents or Applications; ii. Specify Representative Keywords; and/or iii. Specify Representative Classes/Subclasses. One or more of the system modules 314-326 use one or more of these selections to calculate a parameter or graph showing whether the Technology area is crowded or has white space.

In another example embodiment, for any given patent or patent application, one or more of the system modules 314-326 uses keywords from the patent/application/claims, the classes/subclasses, and other parameters (such as prior art) to determine if a patent is in a crowded or open Technology area.

In an embodiment, display module 320 is configured to display user interfaces and information retrieved from one or more databases 302-312. For example, display module 320 may generate user interface 200 of FIG. 2. If a user is accessing patent portfolio and annuity management system 102 remotely (e.g., through a web browser), display module 320 may be configured to transmit data representing a user interface through a network to a user terminal. In various embodiments, display module 320 is configured to generate one or more charts of data stored in databases 302-312. For example, display module 320 may generate a pie chart of the top 10 inventors within a portfolio.

In various embodiments, filtering module 322 is configured to filter a set of matters according to a user preference. For example, a user may activate a check box that indicates only pending matters should be shown in a user interface. Filtering module 322 may formulate a query consistent with retrieving only pending matters. The results of the query may then be shared with display module 320, where the user interface may be updated.

In various embodiments, mapping module 324 is configured to receive or generate mappings from a product to a matter. This may be accomplished, for example, by receiving a selection of a product and a matter by the user. The product may be one or more of the products stored in product database 310. In various embodiments, mapping module 324 is configured to present an automated mapping of the product to a matter for the user to confirm or deny. For example, mapping module 324 may present a claim chart for an issued patent to a user. As discussed, the claim chart includes one or more scope concepts to which one or more the claims of the patent are limited. In conjunction with input module 314, mapping module 324 may receive selections of the user of one or more of the scope concepts that are potentially affiliated with the product. Thus, a comparison may be made between what the claims are limited to and what the product may be. For example, if a product, as defined by the selection of one or more scope concepts by the user, is affiliated toward scope concepts A, B, and C, and claim 1 of the patent has been mapped to scope concepts A, B, and C, the mapping module 324 may present an option to map the product to the patent. In various embodiments, the user may override this recommendation and select to not map the product to the patent. Similarly, a user may indicate that a product is affiliated with the patent even if the scope concepts do not match.

In various embodiments, the mapping module 324 is configured to receive or generate mappings from prior art to a matter. This may be accomplished, for example, by receiving a selection of prior art and a matter by the user. The selection of the prior art may be based on cited references or though other external prior art search. The selections may be conducted manually, by a user, or automatically, by analytics module 318, for example. In various embodiments, mapping module 324 is configured to present an automated mapping of the prior art to a matter for the user to review. In various embodiments, the mapping module can be configured to carry out any of the keyword analysis described above in relation to analytics module 318, or to map products stored in product database 310.

In an embodiment, once the product or prior art mapping information has been determined, it is stored within analytics database 312 or matter database 306. In various embodiments, queries are formulated and run on a periodic basis (e.g., nightly), and entries in analytics database 312 or matter database 306 may be updated to reflect any changes.

In various embodiments, payment module 326 is configured to receive selections by the user of which annuities to pay for matters in a portfolio. Additionally, payment module 326 may receive user preferences related to the payment of the annuities. Payment module 326 may receive payment information from a user and forward the payment information to the appropriate agency/office. In some embodiments, the annuity management system 102 organizes payment of the annuity on behalf of the user, and the user pays patent portfolio and annuity management system 102.

Some embodiments of the present inventive subject matter include methods for electronic analysis of patent white space in a patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. One such embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4. In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method 400 of identifying white space around an invention comprises using one or more processors to perform the following: at block 402, identify the technology class or subclass of the invention; at block 404, for the technology class or subclass of the invention, generate white space information, with the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of patents registered in the class or subclass of the invention; and at block 406, present the white space information to a user.

In an example embodiment, generating the white space information further comprises, for the technology class or subclass of the invention, identifying the total number of patents registered in the class or subclass of the invention. Generating the white space information may further comprise, for the technology class or subclass of the invention, identifying the age of the earliest patent in the class or subclass of the invention.

The invention may form the subject matter of a patent, and generating the white space information may further comprise identifying the age of the prior art cited against the patent.

In an example embodiment, generating white space information for a user further includes one or more elements selected from the following group comprising: using keywords to search patents in the technology class or subclass of the invention; determining how many patents are registered in the name of at least one competitor of the user; and identifying how many patents are registered in user-identified key technology areas.

In an example embodiment, presenting the white space information to a user includes presenting an indication of the distribution of the age of patents cited as prior art against the patent in the class or subclass of the invention.

In various embodiments, the method may further include providing a module to accept input from a user identifying a technology, and in relation to the identified technology, accepting input from the user identifying one or more of the following: representative patents or applications for the technology; representative keywords for the technology; and representative classes or subclasses for the technology.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which shows a user interface 500 that may be used to facilitate the methods of the present inventive subject matter, according to example embodiments. The user interface 500 may be displayed by display module 320 described above. The user interface 500 may be provided in a computer monitor or mobile device. The type of user elements, names, and layout depicted in FIG. 5 is intended to be an illustration of an example user interface of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. Other types of user elements, names, and layouts may be used.

Shown at element 502 is a user interface element in which a user can enter details (such as, for example, the title) relating to an invention of interest. If the invention falls into a particular field of technology, details of this technology can be entered at element 504. If the invention forms part of a patent (i.e., is described or claimed as subject matter in a patent), details of the patent number can be entered at element 506. One or more of the system modules 314-326 (typically the analytics module 318) can then identify and present to the user details of the patent technology class and subclass in elements 508 and 510. The user may select these classes and subclasses manually in some embodiments (for example, by entering such selections at user interface element 516). User interface elements 512 and 514 also allow a user to enter details relating to representative patents or applications in the identified technology, class, or subclass, as well as representative keywords typically used in the technology, class, or subclass.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which shows a user interface 600 that may be used as a white space indicator to facilitate the methods of the present inventive subject matter, according to example embodiments. The user interface 600 may be displayed by display module 320 described above. The user interface 600 may be provided in a computer monitor or mobile device. The types of user elements, names, and layout depicted in FIG. 6 are intended to be an illustration of an example user interface of patent portfolio and annuity management system 102. Other types of user elements, names, and layouts may be used.

Using the information or selections entered by a user in the example interface shown in FIG. 5, one or more of the systems modules 314-326 generates white space information. This white space information is presented in user interface (or white space indicator) 600. For example, details of the identified patent or invention are shown in element 602. In element 604, details of prior art cited against the patent may be shown. In other instances, the prior art may have been manually selected or generated by a separate search exercise. The results of keyword searching of the relevant invention class or subclass (or prior art) are shown in element 606. The use of synonyms can be employed in user interface element 608. The “run” element 610 can be used to implement successive iterations of the search using synonyms, as desired.

A timeline indicating the age of patents identified in the white space information generation is shown by timeline 614. The oldest and youngest patents are identified at 616 and 618, respectively. In an example embodiment, the user interface 600 indicates when an invention or patent is in a crowded space or is in an un-crowded “white space.” Such crowded areas (or, alternatively, the free “white spaces”) can be shown by elements 620 provided along the timeline 614. If used to show crowded areas, each element 620 may contain details relating to patents in that space (for example, as shown in schematic outline, owners “ccc,” or “aaa”; classes or subclasses 7, 11, and 9; or patent titles “yyy,” “zzz,” and so forth. Charts or graphs 626 and 628 may also be provided to highlight promising or free areas identified in the analysis of the white space around the patent or invention concerned.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute either software modules (e.g., code embodied (1) on a non-transitory machine-readable medium or (2) in a transmission signal) or hardware-implemented modules. A hardware-implemented module is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computer system) or one or more processors may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware-implemented module that operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware-implemented module may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware-implemented module may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) to perform certain operations. A hardware-implemented module may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware-implemented module mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware-implemented module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily or transitorily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or to perform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments in which hardware-implemented modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware-implemented modules need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where the hardware-implemented modules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective different hardware-implemented modules at different times. Software may accordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware-implemented module at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware-implemented module at a different instance of time.

Hardware-implemented modules can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware-implemented modules. Accordingly, the described hardware-implemented modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such hardware-implemented modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connect the hardware-implemented modules. In embodiments in which multiple hardware-implemented modules are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware-implemented modules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware-implemented modules have access. For example, one hardware-implemented module may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware-implemented module may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware-implemented modules may also initiate communications with input or output devices and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in some example embodiments, comprise processor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments the processors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., APIs).

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, or software, or in combinations of them. Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product, e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. Method operations can also be performed by, and apparatus of example embodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry (e.g., a FPGA or an ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In embodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will be appreciated that both hardware and software architectures usually require consideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice of whether to implement certain functionality in permanently configured hardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., a combination of software and a programmable processor), or a combination of permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a design choice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and software architectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

EXAMPLE MACHINE ARCHITECTURE AND MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computer system 700 within which instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a PDA, a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 700 includes a processor 702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a video display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 700 also includes an alphanumeric input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (UI) navigation or cursor control device 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 720.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 716 includes a machine-readable medium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures and instructions 724 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704 and/or within the processor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700, with the main memory 704 and the processor 702 also constituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more data structures or instructions 724. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments of the present invention, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices(e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices); magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 726 using a transmission medium. The instructions 724 may be transmitted using the network interface device 720 and any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networks include a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, mobile telephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi and WiMax networks). The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software.

NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENTS

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a part hereof show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

NOTE ON THE ABSTRACT

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. 

1. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors, the method comprising the following: receiving data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed; identifying a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention; for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generating information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and presenting the white space information to a user.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the white space information further comprises, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, identifying the age of the earliest patent registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the invention forms the subject matter of a patent in a field of prior art that predates the patent; and wherein generating the white space information further comprises identifying the age of any prior art cited against the patent.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the invention forms the subject matter of a patent in a field of prior art that predates the patent; and wherein generating the white space information further comprises identifying the age of any prior art not cited against the patent.
 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating white space information for a user further includes the use of one or more elements selected from the following group comprising: using keywords to search patents in the technology class or subclass of the invention; determining how many patents are registered in the name of at least one competitor of the user; and identifying how many patents are registered in user-identified key technology areas.
 7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein presenting the white space information to a user includes presenting an indication of the distribution of the age of patents cited as prior art against the patent in the class or subclass of the invention.
 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further including providing a module to accept input from a user identifying a technology, and in relation to the identified technology, accepting input from the user identifying one or more of the following: representative patents or applications for the technology; representative keywords for the technology; and representative classes or subclasses for the technology.
 9. A system comprising: at least one hardware-implemented module to receive data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed, and to identify a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention; a hardware-implemented analytics module to generate, for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and a hardware-implemented display module to present the white space information to a user.
 10. A system comprising: a network; at least one database, accessible on the network, and including data relating to patents registered in a patent class or subclass of an invention; and a server, operatively connected to the network, wherein the server includes: a processor, a memory, a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing software operable on the processor to: receive data identifying the invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed; identify the patent technology class or subclass of the invention; for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generate information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of the a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and present the white space information to a user.
 11. A machine readable medium, including instructions, which when performed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of: receiving data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed; identifying a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention; for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generate generating information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention information, the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of the a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and presenting the white space information to a user. 